


Let the Wind Carry You

by Lompy



Category: The Red Winter Trilogy - Annette Marie
Genre: Angst, F/M, First Love, Love Triangles, POV switch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24745924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lompy/pseuds/Lompy
Summary: Unfamiliar feelings take flight within the Prince of Shadows as he embarks to save the world with a human girl at his side. (beginning at Book 3 from Yumei's perspective)
Relationships: Shiro / Emi, Yumei / Emi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Let the Wind Carry You

**Author's Note:**

> I am new to writing (and ao3/fanfics in general) but I'm just here to have fun and practice my writing. I wasn't ready to drop these characters after finishing the books so I hope you enjoy my POV switch :] also will probably leave canon at some point idk.

Yumei sat utterly still, not daring to make any sudden movements. A strange tension had been building inside him as Emi addressed his wounds, each brush of her fingers against his skin causing a sensation that threatened to breach his steely appearance.

The past few weeks of his existence had been filled with firsts - first time fighting a legendary dragon with the two Kunitsukami Inari and Susano, first time welcoming a human into his home, first time being saved by a human. Firsts are few and far between for a being whose age well exceeds a thousand years. This human woman currently dressing his wounds - also a first. Contrasting with the unfamiliar feeling he tried to ignore, her presence also brought a sense of peace to him while relieving some ache in the many bruises and cuts that laced his body. His mind began to wander through the previous weeks of their journey, lingering around memories of -

Emi placed her hand on his shoulder, snapping Yumei back to the present abruptly as he carefully concealed his reaction to her touch. She was pulling a bandage tightly around his arm, holding him in place. However, it was not tight enough as the wrapping unfurled. Emi let out an irritated short breath behind him and started again. She was clearly worried about hurting Yumei, which humored him. Any small pain or discomfort she could inflict on the powerful Tengu while dressing his wounds was nothing compared to the sensations brought on by her delicate touch.

Yumei was cold-hearted by nature, reborn within the shadows of the yokai realm Tsuchi where he was held captive and gained power in the darkness. Still, he always had a strong connection to those who were loyal to him. Each life of the hundreds of crow yokai under his command were valued highly by him, though the connection was one of trust and unyielding dedication, not of deep sentiment. But this human wasn’t his. She was under his protection, yes, but he considered her an equal in their journey and respected the role she played in the group. So the strong attachment he felt growing for this girl puzzled Yumei, and he could not begin to place a name to the wholly new light inside him.

Annoyance, undoubtedly, was one emotion Yumei currently felt as the human girl chided him on the proper steps of his recovery. The sound of her voice caused a stir in a futon nearby. Two white fox ears poked out of the covers. Inari, the powerful fire Kunitsukami… No, not quite. He was still Shiro until his memories completely returned. Shiro joined in on the topic of Yumei’s slow healing - even more unwanted attention to his current weakness. 

Shiro pointed at Emi. "You. stop pestering him. If he needed to return home, he would have already."

"I wasn't pestering him," Emi insisted, hurt quite obvious in her voice.

"You are almost as irritating as the kitsune," Yumei snapped as his patience reached a breaking point. He didn't look to see what kind of impression his harsh words made.

Yumei rose to his feet, pulled on his shirt, and quickly left the room before the two had time to make any more quips. He made his way from their private building to the main inn, finding a quiet bench to sit and clear his head. Although he had always cherished time to reflect alone, he knew he would have to return and face the others eventually. He was feeling somewhat guilty for leaving on a bad tone. Also, allowing Shiro to be alone with the girl was unwise, and Yumei had been careful to avoid the problem thus far. 

Without his permission, the memory of Emi’s hand brushing his skin flashed in his mind. With a sharp exhale, he got up and began the walk back to his room. As he rounded the final corner to leave the main building, he came to a brisk stop. A short innkeeper stood barely an inch from Yumei’s foot, holding a large tray of food and looking up with concern. Yumei quickly took in his fearful expression and proceeded before him to open the door, silently cursing his own uncharacteristic lack of awareness. He tried to recover his typical hard expression as the two of them advanced to his room, not wanting to reveal any inside turmoil.

The preparation did him no good. He swung the door open and was met with the sight of the human and kitsune huddled close together, Emi kneeling near Shiro’s futon. Yumei felt his bearing sour as he strolled gracefully inside the room and noted the blush appearing on Emi’s cheeks. The innkeeper laid down the tray of food on the table in front of Yumei and quickly left.

“I’m going to visit the baths. Enjoy your meal,” Emi said in an unconvincingly cheerful tone. She was probably happy to get away from the foul mood he returned with, Yumei thought. She departed quickly, leaving Shiro staring at the door in dismay.

“Good timing, she was about to tell me something important,” Shiro pouted. Yumei could hardly believe that this fox-eared fool behaving like a schoolboy with a new crush was truly a yokai god.

“Leave her be,” said Yumei flatly. “Clearly she was looking for an escape from you.”

Shiro slid a cheeky smile at him and something playful sparked behind his eyes. “Jealous?” he asked with a slight purr in his voice.

Yumei picked up an onigiri from the tray food and scoffed. “Hardly. I have no desire to seek out her company more than necessary. She irritates me plenty without my prompting.” He spoke confidently, but no sooner was it spoken than he wondered if it were really true.

“Well you’re no fun,” Shiro yawned. He rolled back over on his futon and promptly fell asleep as Yumei finished the onigiri.

Yumei sighed, alone with his thoughts yet again. He needed a distraction. Leaning his head back, he relaxed and began to listen intently. The range of his hearing spread like a shadow through the halls of the inn, softly switching in and out of focus to various yokai the shadow passed underneath. Finally, he had reached his destination: the hot springs. He felt a sharp pang of unease, a brief thought that this invasion of privacy was something more akin to what Shiro would do. No. He intended only to ensure that Emi was safe while alone, of course.

“Let me go!”

Yumei froze. His hearing sharpened intensely as every miniscule sound echoed around the pool, creating a physical contour of the area in his mind. In half a second, he realized that an unfamiliar yokai had grabbed Emi. Yumei was on his feet in a flash. Shadowy smoke began to feather out of his hand on instinct, but his eyes remained closed, listening.

He heard the bakeneko reply to Emi’s startled plea. “Look at the doorway. What do you see?” Yumei tasted the air again with his shadow. Ah. A much weaker force crouched by the door. A nightmare yokai called a kanashibari - not a threat to Emi, as kami power pulsed through her. However to any other yokai she was just a weak human and easy prey. It was odd to find a kanashibari at an inn, however Yumei chose to ignore the small detail. He relaxed again, slightly. His eyes flitted open, noticing the smoke rising from his hand. Quietly waving the power away, he felt somewhat foolish of his instinctive overreaction and was relieved Shiro remained fast asleep.

As if on queue, Shiro rolled back over in his futon, awoken again by the smell of food that had now permeated the room. He slinked down to a cushion on the floor and looked up at Yumei’s cool expression with eyebrows raised. Perhaps Shiro could sense the tension behind his eyes. Before allowing the kitsune to make any remarks, Yumei slowly sat to join him at the table.

Yumei picked at a few small plates as Shiro downed multiple bowls on his own. Neither spoke. Once satisfied that Shiro was fully distracted, Yumei leaned back and closed his eyes, listening. The bakeneko had lead Emi out of the door past the kanashibari. Good. Bakeneko can be a mischievous bunch, but Emi was lucky to encounter one who intended no ill will... Or perhaps, the yokai was lucky that she did not harm this particular human under his watch. Yumei sighed and picked up a bowl of noodles, one of the only items the kitsune had left. His sigh caused Shiro’s ears to perk up questioningly, but Yumei was more aware of the fast-approaching footsteps outside. On the surface he hoped to be clear of Emi’s nagging attention with her return, however a deep curiosity flamed inside him as he recalled the strange emotion her presence brought.


End file.
